Arsenal Transfer News: Theo Walcott Linked to West Ham Amid Jamie Vardy Rumours

Arsenal are reportedly ready to cash in on Theo Walcott as they continue to chase Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy.

According to James Olley of the London Evening Standard, West Ham United are considering a £25 million move for Walcott, with the “same agency” overseeing Vardy’s possible switch to the Gunners looking into a deal.

It’s suggested Arsenal won’t sanction the sale of their current forward until the capture of their new one is confirmed.

Arsenal have reportedly met the release clause in Vardy’s contract with Leicester and are now waiting on the player to decide where his future lies. BBC Sport’s David Ornstein is expecting a decision imminently:

Olley has claimed that Walcott is reluctant to leave Arsenal after 10 years at the club, although the Gunners are said to be ready to move him on.

For the former Southampton man, a transfer would make sense too.

Walcott has struggled with injuries regularly at the Emirates Stadium as of late, and although there were times early last season when he looked capable of filling the centre-forward berth, he simply hasn’t been consistent enough to nail down a starting spot in the side.

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Indeed, Squawka Football’s Greg Johnson thinks the reason Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has pursued Vardy is to do the job that Walcott has not been able to:

There are certain similarities to draw between the Foxes man and the Gunners’ No. 14. Like Walcott, Vardy possesses blistering pace and can be devastating when the ball is played in front of him with space to surge into. Additionally, both can play in wide positions when required, although it’s not a tactical switch that brings out the best in either player.

Even so, Vardy isn’t a typical Wenger capture.

Firstly, at 29, it’s unclear just how long he’ll have left at the elite level, and while his 2015-16 campaign was a memorable one—spearheading Leicester’s charge for Premier League glory—it was the only one in which he’s scored top-flight goals consistently.

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Bleacher Report’s Rob Blanchette is unsure of whether or not the England striker is the right fit for the way in which Arsenal play:

What a deal could potentially pave the way for is Arsenal trying to implement a new style. After all, the Foxes were devastating on the break last season, seeking to hit their No. 9 early in the channels and isolate defenders. It’s a style diametrically opposed to the Gunners’ standard blueprint.

Vardy would allow Arsenal to go a little more direct when needed.

Wenger may have a reputation for being stubborn in adhering to his precision-passing principles, but he’s a clever football man and not a coach who will buy a player for a vast sum of money to utilise him in a manner that doesn’t suit him.

As these numbers from WhoScored.com illustrate, while Vardy is a major weapon in a stretched game, he’s sharpened his predatory instincts too:

None of this will be good news for Walcott. At 27, he has to be playing regular football, and there are plenty of clubs—including West Ham—that could potentially make him a key member of the first-team squad. He may have ties to the Emirates after a decade, but for the sake of his own career, a move is surely imperative.

Arsenal would be happy to accept the aforementioned sum for the player too, an amount that would go a long way toward offsetting what they would shell out for Vardy.

If the Gunners could get him functioning at the point of the attack as he did for the Foxes last term, they’ll go close to an overdue title win.